


Mononoke?

by xiuxi



Category: Mononoke
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-12-21
Updated: 2009-12-21
Packaged: 2017-10-04 20:46:28
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/33970
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/xiuxi/pseuds/xiuxi
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Nakamura Kanake learns that procrastination generally leads to no good. The hard way.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Mononoke?

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Hokuto](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hokuto/gifts).



> I owe a great deal of thanks to my fantastic beta!

Nakamura Kanake was alone. Her family had gotten up to Sapporo to visit some relatives. Kanake, however, had a lot of work to do and was therefore stranded at home. She was sitting on her knees in front of her little laptop, waiting for inspiration to strike so that she could finish her long overdue assignment. Her fingers floated over the keyboard. She was opening tabs that shouldn't be opened; searching for her game folder where entertaining games were waiting; procrastinating as usual. If only she could channel some of her restless energy into writing what she should, instead of watching yet another video on Nicovideo.

The lights flickered. This didn't disturb her. Power shortages happened, and this was just a flicker She started worry when the walls began to tremble. She was alone in the flat. The light flickered , then . went out. Kanake was sitting alone in a dark room. Her computer started to wriggle slowly. She froze. Unable to do anything, she sat there and felt the computer move under her fingers. With a bang, the light turned on again, the walls shook and then everything went still. She breathed. She sat still, shock pulsating through her veins. Nothing happened, she just sat there.

Suddenly, in the midst of her paralyzing panic, the doorbell rang. Not knowing what else she should do, she readied herself, shook the fear out of her body, and went to answer the door.

A man dressed in an ornate kimono stood before her. His head was wrapped in a bandana and his ears were suspiciously pointy. He was curiously attractive, but somewhat out of place. Kanake blinked. What on earth was he doing here?

"Would you like to buy some medicine?" the man said. "I have a good remedy for colds". He motioned towards a big box. Before she even had realized it, he had let himself inside. Kanake could only close the door behind him.

The man, who apparently was some kind of medicine seller, proceeded to look around. He raised his hand slightly and slowly stroked the wall.

"As I thought", he said casually. "Mononoke."

"A mononoke?"

Kanake couldn't believe this. Mononoke were the stuff of fairy tales, one of those things you used to scare unruly children. The walls shook again and the light flickered uneasily. There was something wrong here. The Medicine Seller's expression was immutable.

"We have to seal the room", he said. He raised his hands. Small slips of paper flowed out from them and onto the walls. Strange symbols of possibly occult content formed on the paper and blinked menacingly. It all happened very fast. Kanake couldn't quite believe her eyes. The walls shook even harder in response.

"I think it is something in the walls", Kanake said. "It must be something in the walls. Maybe it is the electricity or something."

"No", the Medicine Seller said. Kanake went silent. She looked at him. He hadn't changed his expression once since he'd entered her apartment.

"It's this", he said and pointed towards her computer. She looked at him again.

"My laptop? " She was puzzled. "But the walls? The light?"

"This thing. It can spread out wide. Like tentacles. You'd better be careful. "

"Tentacles?"

"Like tentacles. This is the form of the mononoke."

A small object that looked very much like a set of scales materialized in the room. It tipped over slightly towards the computer. Kanake looked at it for a long time, mesmerized, before she tore herself away.

"Can you kill it?" she asked. The Medicine Seller didn't answer. He looked at the scales. Finally he spoke:

"Kill a mononoke? I cannot. Not now. To kill a mononoke, its Form, Truth and Regret must be evident. The form of the mononoke would be this machine." He motioned towards the computer. "But we know neither its Truth nor its Regret. Hence, I cannot kill it."

The walls trembled. It sounded like somebody was groaning in there. Kanake looked at the scales. Both sides were equal. Suddenly, the whole room shook, the lights went off and on and the computer elevated itself and was resting midair, screen blinking, power off.

"What did you do?" a menacing, dark voice called out. "What did you do?"

It started screaming.

"Kanaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaake."

Her legs collapsed beneath her. She found herself sitting on the floor, limbs trembling, unable to move, unable to listen to anything else than the voice screaming her name over and over. The Medicine Seller looked at her with a questioning face.

"I see", he said. "This is not about something you did; this is about something you didn't do. What didn't you do, Kanake?"

His voice was firm but not accusing. It was a relief from the mad screaming of the wall voice. What didn't she do? She remembered.

"I meant to write it. It's just – life came in the way. You know, the dead relatives and the dog and everything. I didn't mean to … I didn't mean any harm … I will write it next year, I promise." Words sputtered out of her. She wanted to atone, but she didn't know what to say.

"You didn't write a story for your fanfiction exchange?" The Medicine Seller sounded somewhat amused. "Someone here is very angry with you".

"I am sorry". She was honestly sorry and didn't know what to say. "I will write it next year".

The walls trembled again. There were roars behind them. The computer was still hovering mid-air, glaring accusingly at her for the words she hadn't written. She looked at the Medicine Seller. He was very serious and pointed at a small sword, which seemed to have a life of its own.

"This is the regret of the mononoke", he said. "My sword will unfold if we can get to the Truth of it."

The Truth. The walls rattled. Kanake was slightly worried that the walls would break and that the mononoke would come in and swallow her whole. The Medicine Seller looked at her quizzically, his sword unmoving in his hand. Voices whispered from the walls, from beneath the floor. They were coming from everywhere now, surrounding her, closing in on her. She had nowhere to run, nowhere to hide anymore.

"What did you do?"

"What did you do?"

"What did you do?"

"What did you do?"

"Kanakeeeeeeeee?"

She swallowed. "I was playing Mine Sweeper."

A complete silence filled the room.

"I was playing Mine Sweeper. For five whole weeks. During which I should have written my Yuletide assignment. I am so sorry."

She sank to her knees again. The scales tilted slightly. The sword moved and the Medicine Seller opened his mouth: "I am glad we have come to the truth of the matter."

A fantastical scene played out in front of Kanake's eyes. The sword unfolded and a golden haze drenched the room. An ethereal figure, not unlike the Medicine Seller himself, stood before her. He raised his sword and struck her computer. The screen glowed and moaned and bubbles filled with devil-like goats rose up from it and disappeared. Then, everything went quiet. Only the Medicine Seller remained, smiling slightly to himself.

Kanake looked around the room, which had been struck by utmost disaster. The light bulbs were broken, there was something akin to blood on the walls, and her precious, beloved computer was torn to pieces. It would take ages to clean up. What would her parents say?

"I'll show myself out, then." The Medicine Seller was on his way before she could ask him about something.

She looked at the pieces of her computer, grabbed a bunch of paper and a pen and set out to write.


End file.
